It happened on the third day.
From brown and barren earth, the green things grew upward.
Life.
Out of rugged stone and ragged ground the green things broke through and claimed the lifeless for the Maker. In this, their first song, their truest song, was first sung. For the song of all green things is that the Maker delights in life where there is emptiness, and that He causes His goodness to spread throughout the whole earth.
The green things rejoiced in the song they sang together. The whole earth itself was glad.
Seed and Spore
But then the green things approached their Maker.
“Lord,” they said, “we wish to spread our song, but we cannot. We want to travel the earth and sing, but we must stay where you have placed us. It is written in our song. And look, some of us will last for years to come, but some will whither. It is written in our song. What will we do that we may continue to sing?”
And so, the Maker replied, “Look, I have made the seed and the spore. Through these, I will give you more songs. Your song will spread through the whole earth. You will sing until the earth is passed, and your song will continue even after. For I tell you a mystery: I will make man who will rule over you. He will hear your songs, and they will teach him of me and my wisdom and my glory. But the man will not listen. After him, I will make a second Man, and He will teach your song to all who will come after Him.”
The green things clapped their hands. Then the Maker gave them each their seed and called them forward to teach them their new songs.
Return
The Maker bent low and said, “To some of you, I will teach a new song: Return. You will grow and flourish in your time, and I will make a sun to shine upon you that will give you life. Yet you will not be able to bear the heat of the sun or the power of the seasons for too long. You will return to the earth and sow your seed where you once stood. This is your song: Except you fall and die, you will remain alone; but if you die, you will multiply greatly.
“This is a song for man to hear. Let him learn that only I can bring life from death, and I can multiply blessing through suffering.”
Release
Then some of the green things spoke to the Maker. “Lord, we have no one to sow our seed, and you have not given us feet to move. And look, if we would plant our seed beneath us, there would be no room for them at our own roots. How will we get our seed to go far off?”
The Maker answered, “To some of you, I will teach a new song: Release. You will grow tall and lively, and in your time you will bear your seed. Then I will shake you through my breath upon the earth, and you will release your seed to me. I will blow your seed, some carried by spinning copters, some by fluffy threads, some so small that the eye cannot see them. My wind will blow these seeds and carry them where you cannot go, and plant them where you cannot reach.
“This is a song for man to hear. Let him learn that only by letting go of his own treasures to the moving of my Spirit can my will be accomplished. Let him learn that I can carry my goodness farther than he could dream to reach on his own.”
Give
Then the oak and other green things like him spoke to the Maker. “Lord, you have given us seeds that fall at your shaking. They are not carried by your wind. What will we do?”
The Maker smiled and said, “Look, I will make the squirrel and others like him. I will give him a spirit that works tirelessly and will give him a humongous appetite. I will make him to eat your seeds.”
The oak replied, “Lord, do not do it! How will I last?”
The Maker laughed and answered, “Do not worry. Though he will love to devour your seeds until he is very full, he will soon have no more room in himself. He will bury your seeds in the ground, hoping to eat them later. But what he does not know is that, though I blessed him with many wonderful things, I did not give him a good memory. He will soon forget where he hoarded your seeds. In this, you will pay for your own workers out of your abundance of seeds, and the squirrels will plant your seeds for you.
“This is a song for man to hear. Let him learn to give freely to even those who would devour the goods I gave him, for out of their weakness I will further my plan.”
Fruit
Then other green things came to the Maker and said, “Lord, you have given us the task to grow our seeds within ourselves. Why?”
The Maker answered, “To you I will teach a new song, a very special song: Fruit. You will grow and be helped by many other creatures that I will create. From the bee to the butterfly to many mysterious and surprising workers, I will share your goodness between those of your kind. When the time is right, you will wrap your seeds in something good for food. When your fruit is ready, you too will release it. Others will come and enjoy your fruit and discard your seed. In this, your song will flourish throughout the world, and those that dwell on the earth will rejoice in your song.
“This is a song for man to hear, a very special song. Let him learn that it is by my working in very little and surprising ways that he can bear my fruit. By your song he will know that the fruit of the Spirit is meant for others to enjoy, so that my goodness can be shared. Let him learn that I have called him to sow the fruit of righteousness in peace. In this, I will sow my seed, some on hard soil, some on stony ground, some among weeds, and some on good ground that will also bear fruit. Then the whole earth will rejoice in my goodness that I share through them.”
Listeners
There were many other songs taught that day. The Maker put great care to ensure each had learned its special song. Some were loud, some were soft, and some so mysterious and wonderful it is unknown if even they knew meaning of the songs they sang. Then, the day ended, and the green things rejoiced to see how the Maker would finish His creation.
When man and woman were made, the green things sang together, for those who would listen had come. The Maker, wishing to weave their songs together, took special care of the green things and made them into a garden in Eden. The green things have never sung a more perfect song since that garden.
But it was in the very special song, the song of Fruit, the song that was meant to give the fullest of life to man and woman, that the garden could no longer be heard. For the man and the woman did not listen to the song of Fruit, but took the fruit they should not have taken. They devoured it against the Maker’s warnings, not knowing that the song of fruit tells of the seed within it. For fruit is not for what is on the outside, but what is on the inside. The fruit God intended for man contained life, while the fruit they chose held death.
So, the man and woman whom the Maker had made to enjoy the song of the garden were thrown out of the garden.
The Second Man
Yet the green things still sang throughout the world.
Then, coming to the Maker once more, they cried, “Lord, these men and these women do not hear our songs!”
The Maker answered, “Sing them anyway. I delight in them. He who has ears to hear, let him hear. And remember what I told you before: I will make a second Man, and He will teach your songs to all who come after Him. They will sing an even better song, a fuller song, a finished and unending song.”
“But Lord,” the green things responded, “how will the second Man know our songs?”
The Maker smiled. “He is the one who taught them to you.”
Ever since and even still, the green things sing throughout the world. He who has an ear, let him hear.
by Max Tardie